MONROE — On the Saturday morning, April 11, members of the Monroe community gathered outside the American Legion on 12th Avenue to protest during an appearance by Wisconsin State Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) at a breakfast event hosted by the Republican Party of Green County.

Protestors expressed frustration with Marklein’s influence, as co-chair of the Wisconsin Legislature Joint Finance Committee, over stage budgeting policies and especially regarding the funding of Wisconsin’s public school system. The legislature, which has been controlled by Republicans for over a decade, has failed to adequately provide school districts with the resources they need to continue operations facing risings costs, they say, leaving school boards and administrations at odds with property owners growing weary over the constant burden of increased property taxes to fill in the gap.

“I was hoping to get across a message that, under Howard Marklein, funding to public education has decreased for over a decade,” said Ethan Kister, a longtime resident of Monroe whose children have been students in the district. “Each year, every budget, less money to fund things that are important to this district and to my family. The fact is that educational funding has not kept up with inflation and has decreased annually.”

The action by Kister and others came after the local election earlier in the week saw voters in the Monroe School District reject an operational budget referendum for the second time in less than two years. The deciding margin was 154 out of more than 5,700 total votes cast, a result of 2,957 (51.3%) no to 2,803 (48.6%) yes. Voters on both sides of the issue have expressed frustration over the state funding model, along with increases to local property taxes while the state sits on a budget surplus. Protesters Saturday said that these frustrations will continue to be more prominent as the November midterm election